Article of clothing and method to manufacture the same

ABSTRACT

Article of clothing to wear on the top part of the body to cover at least the shoulders, torso and back, which comprises two opposite panels, with the same shape and size and joined together overlapping along all the respective facing perimeter edges, except for at least a lower segment that is not joined, which defines a lower opening in order to put the article of clothing at least on the torso, shoulders and back, and an upper segment, not joined, which defines an upper opening for the head to go through, and possibly one or more lateral segments, not joined, which define respective one or more lateral openings for the arms to go through.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention concerns an article of clothing and the method tomanufacture it.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

It is known to use articles of clothing that cover the torso and theback of the wearer, also called “tops”. These articles of clothing aretypically worn by putting them over the head through a suitable openingdelimited on the perimeter by an anatomically shaped “neck”. Thearticles of clothing include for example T-shirts, with long or shortsleeves, sweaters or fleeces. The articles of clothing in question canbe personalized and/or printed with colors, writing, and variousgraphical or decorative motifs.

One possible disadvantage of such articles of clothing is that they aredesigned and produced so that they can be put on correctly only in a“normal” configuration, not back-to-front (that is, inverting the frontside and the back side), or they are designed as reversible “inside-out”articles of clothing. In fact, if a traditional article of clothing wereworn back-to-front, the shape of the neck for example would beunsuitable for the anatomical conformation and would be uncomfortable.

This makes articles of clothing not very versatile in use, as they areuncomfortable if worn differently from how they were designed andproduced.

Furthermore, this means it is possible to personalize them only on thefront and/or back side of the article of clothing in the “normal”configuration, thus limiting for example the creative aspect regardingthe personalization of such articles of clothing.

Document US-A-2013/0254968 is known, which describes a reversiblearticle of clothing that comprises three different panels, stitchedtogether only along part of the perimeter edge, to define threedifferent external configurations or aspects.

Document US-A-2007/0094762 describes an article of clothing with aninside-out reversible structure, but unsuitable to be wornback-to-front, and has disadvantages connected to the shape of the neck.

Document US-A-2014/0317823 is also known, which describes a compressionarticle of clothing, of the reversible type, having a front portion anda back portion, each comprising a first panel and a second panel, eachin turn formed by a structure with two overlapping layers, joined bystitching only along part of the perimeter edge: the layers can thusremain free to slide with respect to each other. The first panel of thefront portion has a neck with a different shape from that of the secondpanel of the back portion, and therefore the neck would be unsuitablefor the anatomical conformation if the article of clothing was wornback-to-front, and hence not comfortable.

Document US-A-2007/0124870 is also known, which describes a reversibleprinted article of clothing, having a front side and a back side, inwhich the front side comprises a textile element with a first surfaceand a second surface, opposite the first surface, which has differentvisual elements from the first surface. This article of clothing,however, is unsuitable to be worn back-to-front, i.e. inverting frontand back, because the shape of the neck would be unsuitable for theanatomical conformation and hence not comfortable.

There is therefore a need to perfect an article of clothing and acorresponding manufacturing method which can overcome at least one ofthe disadvantages of the state of the art.

In particular, one purpose of the present invention is to obtain aversatile article of clothing.

Another purpose of the present invention is to obtain an article ofclothing that can be personalized in different ways.

The Applicant has devised, tested and embodied the present invention toovercome the shortcomings of the state of the art and to obtain theseand other purposes and advantages.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention is set forth and characterized in the independentclaims, while the dependent claims describe other characteristics of theinvention or variants to the main inventive idea.

According to some forms of embodiment, an article of clothing isprovided, to be worn on the upper part of the body to cover at leastshoulders, torso and back. According to one form of embodiment, thearticle of clothing consists of two opposite panels, joined togetheroverlapping along all the facing respective perimeter edges, except forat least one lower segment that is not joined, which defines a loweropening used to put on the article of clothing at least over the torso,shoulders and back. It also consists of an un-joined upper segment,which defines an upper opening so that the head can pass, and possiblyone or more un-joined lateral segments, which define respective one ormore lateral openings so that the arms can pass.

The two panels have the same shape and size, optionally except forexclusively the zone of the upper segment defining the upper opening forthe head to pass, wherein the two panels can have respective shapededges having an identical profile, or a different profile, chosenbetween a rounded shape and a V-shape.

According to other forms of embodiment, a method is provided to make anarticle of clothing to be worn on the top part of the body to cover atleast the shoulders, torso and back. According to one form ofembodiment, the method includes:

-   -   making available exclusively two panels, provided with perimeter        edges, so that the article of clothing consists of said two        panels;    -   joining together the two panels overlapping along all the facing        perimeter edges, except for at least a lower segment that is not        joined, which defines a lower opening in order to put the        article of clothing at least on the torso, shoulders and back,        and an upper segment, not joined, which defines an upper opening        for the head to go through, and possibly one or more lateral        segments, not joined, which define respective one or more        lateral openings for the arms to go through,    -   said two panels having the same shape and size, optionally        except for exclusively the zone of said upper segment defining        the upper opening, wherein said panels can have respective        shaped edges having an identical profile, or a different        profile, chosen between a rounded shape and a V-shape.

These and other aspects, characteristics and advantages of the presentdisclosure will be better understood with reference to the followingdescription, drawings and attached claims. The drawings, which areintegrated and form part of the present description, show some forms ofembodiment of the present invention, and together with the description,are intended to describe the principles of the disclosure.

The various aspects and characteristics described in the presentdescription can be applied individually where possible. These individualaspects, for example aspects and characteristics described in theattached dependent claims, can be the object of divisional applications.

It is understood that any aspect or characteristic that is discovered,during the patenting process, to be already known, shall not be claimedand shall be the object of a disclaimer.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

These and other characteristics of the present invention will becomeapparent from the following description of some forms of embodiment,given as a non-restrictive example with reference to the attacheddrawings wherein:

FIG. 1 is a front view of an article of clothing according to forms ofembodiment described here;

FIG. 2 is a diagram of possible ways of using an article of clothingaccording to forms of embodiment described here;

FIG. 3 is an enlarged detail (I) of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is an enlarged detail (II) of FIG. 2;

FIG. 5 is an enlarged detail (III) of FIG. 2;

FIG. 6 is an enlarged detail (IV) of FIG. 2;

FIG. 7 is a detail of the seam of the reinforcement flaps of the hems ofan article of clothing according to forms of embodiment described here;

FIG. 8 is an enlarged detail (V) of FIG. 2;

FIG. 9 is an enlarged detail (VI) of FIG. 2;

FIG. 10 is a front view of an article of clothing according to otherforms of embodiment described here;

FIG. 11 is a front view of an article of clothing according to otherforms of embodiment described here;

FIG. 12 is a front view of an article of clothing according to stillother forms of embodiment described here;

FIG. 13a is a front view of an article of clothing according to forms ofembodiment described here;

FIG. 13b is a back view of the article of clothing in FIG. 13a accordingto some forms of embodiment described here

To facilitate comprehension, the same reference numbers have been used,where possible, to identify identical common elements in the drawings.It is understood that elements and characteristics of one form ofembodiment can conveniently be incorporated into other forms ofembodiment without further clarifications.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF SOME FORMS OF EMBODIMENT

We shall now refer in detail to the various forms of embodiment of thepresent invention, of which one or more examples are shown in theattached drawings. Each example is supplied by way of illustration ofthe invention and shall not be understood as a limitation thereof. Forexample, the characteristics shown or described insomuch as they arepart of one form of embodiment can be adopted on, or in associationwith, other forms of embodiment to produce another form of embodiment.It is understood that the present invention shall include all suchmodifications and variants.

Before describing these forms of embodiment, we must also clarify thatthe present description is not limited in its application to details ofthe construction and disposition of the components as described in thefollowing description using the attached drawings. The presentdescription can provide other forms of embodiment and can be obtained orexecuted in various other ways. We must also clarify that thephraseology and terminology used here is for the purposes of descriptiononly, and cannot be considered as limitative.

Forms of embodiment described here concern an article of clothing 10 tobe worn on the upper part of the body to cover at least shoulders, torsoand back, and a method to manufacture it.

We would point out that an article of clothing as used in the forms ofembodiment described here can be an article of clothing that is worn byputting it on over the head through a suitable opening delimited on theperimeter by a “neck” and which, once it is on, covers the torso andback. Examples of this type of article of clothing can be T-shirts withlong or short sleeves, sweaters, tunics, long dresses, undershirts,waistcoats, ponchos. According to some forms of embodiment of thepresent invention, the article of clothing 10 can also cover the legs,or at least part of them. The article of clothing 10 according to formsof embodiment described here can be personalized esthetically withcolors, writing, graphical motifs, decorations, printed images or acombination of such personalizations. Techniques that can be used toapply or print these esthetic personalizations can be, for example,digital printing, direct digital printing, heat printing with a digitalplotter, laser printing, ink-jet printing, silk screen printing,aerograph application, textile sublimation, manual painting, stenciltechnique.

According to the present description, the article of clothing 10consists of two opposite panels 12, 14, joined together overlappingalong all the facing perimeter edges 13, except for at least a lowersegment 15 that is not joined, which defines a lower opening 23 in orderto put the article of clothing 10 at least on the torso, shoulders andback, and an upper segment 17, not joined, which delimits an upperopening 21 for the head to go through, and possibly one or more lateralsegments 19, not joined, which define respective one or more lateralopenings 25 for the arms to go through.

In some forms of embodiment, the two panels 12, 14 can have the sameshape and size, i.e. they are symmetrical or mirrored, optionally exceptfor only the zone of the upper segment 17 defining the upper opening,wherein the panels 12, 14 can have respective shaped edges 27 having anidentical profile, or a different profile, chosen between a roundedshape, i.e. for example concave, curved or round, and a V-shape. Inother words, in some forms of embodiment the two panels 12, 14 aresymmetrically equal, in other forms of embodiment they are symmetricallyequal except for the shape of the upper opening 21 which, when it isdifferent between the two panels 12, 14, is chosen exclusively either asround or V-shaped (see for example FIGS. 13a and 13b ).

We must point out here that the terms “join”, “joined” and suchlike asused in the forms of embodiment described here, can be understood as ajoin of two complementary parts using stitching techniques, for examplewith needle and thread, or with a sewing machine, or heat-sealingtechniques. Hereafter in the description, we will refer by way ofexample to forms of embodiment that use stitching to join together thevarious components of the article of clothing 10, but it is understoodthat the same description can also apply, where possible, to forms ofembodiment that provide joining by means of heat-sealing.

In some forms of embodiment, each of the two panels 12, 14 of thearticle of clothing 10 in question is integral, i.e. each of them is asingle body or piece, not formed by joining other flaps, i.e. it has noflaps joined together by buttons, zips, laces or similar releasableclosing elements.

In some forms of embodiment, which can be combined with all the forms ofembodiment described here, each of the two panels 12, 14 can have amulti-layer structure of textile material. In a possible implementation,it is possible for example to provide different layers for each panel,overlapping each other and adherent on the whole reciprocal contactsurface. In these forms of embodiment, the different layers of themulti-layer structure of each of the two panels can possibly be madewith different properties, for example to produce technical clothing, tobe used for example in everyday life, or in sport or the workplace, ormodelling clothing.

In other forms of embodiment, which can be combined with all the otherforms of embodiment described here, except for the forms of embodimentin which each of the two panels 12, 14 can have a multi-layer structure,at least one of the two panels 12, 14, or both, consists on the contraryof a single layer of textile material (see FIGS. 3-8 for example).

FIG. 1 is used to describe forms of embodiment of an article of clothing10 according to the present description which consists of the two panels12, 14 which hereafter, for ease of explanation, will be called frontpanel 12 and back panel 14; however, since the panels 12, 14 areidentical, the definition front/back, like “normal”/inside-out andleft/right, does not restrict the field of protection of the presentinvention.

In particular, here and hereafter in the description, the words “right”and “left” will refer to the right and left side respectively of FIG. 1.

The front panel 12 and back panel 14 are identical, i.e. they are shapedor cut so that they are each symmetrical back/front with respect tothemselves and also symmetrical each with respect to the other.

In possible implementations, in correspondence with said upper segment17 along which they are not joined together, the front panel 12 and backpanel 14 can each have an identical edge 27 shaped to define the part ofthe article of clothing 10 that surrounds the user's neck. In practice,the shaped edges 27 delimit peripherally the upper opening 21 for thehead to pass through. For example, in some forms of embodiment (see forexample FIGS. 1, 10 and 11) the shaped edge 27 of the front panel 12 andthe back panel 14 can be shaped concave, or in general with a recessedprofile, to define a neck 16. The neck 16 can be symmetrical back/frontand internally/externally and can have different shapes. In particular,in possible implementations, the neck 16 can be rounded for example, oragain high-necked or V-necked, or any other shape. For example therounded neck can be the normal type (round-neck) or can have a deeperand more rounded neckline (scoop-neck). In other forms of embodiment,the shaped edge 27 of the front panel 12 and the back panel 14 can beshaped with a protruding profile, to define a high neck 31, more or lessaccentuated, which can be worn as such, or rolled or draped.

According to possible forms of embodiment described using FIGS. 13a and13b , the front panel 12 and back panel 14 can be symmetrical, exceptfor the upper segment 17 that defines the upper opening 21, in otherwords they can have a single degree of asymmetry in correspondence withthe upper segment 17 which defines the upper opening 21, wherein theycan include respective shaped edges 27 with an identical profile, ordifferent, chosen between rounded and V-shaped (V-neck). For example,the front panel 12 can have a concave shaped edge 27, defining a roundedneck 16, while the back panel 14 can have a V-shaped edge 27 and hencethe respective V-neck 16. In these forms of embodiment, with thedefinition of rounded neck we mean a round-neck or scooped-neck. Forexample, forms of embodiment described with reference to FIGS. 13a and13b can be combined with forms of embodiment in which each of the twopanels 12, 14 consists of a single layer of textile material.

As we said before, the front panel 12 is identical in shape to the backpanel 14. However, the front panel 12 can be different in terms ofmaterial used, personalization, color print, graphical motifs, writing,images or decorations applied or printed, or any combination of suchpersonalizations with respect to the back panel 14.

According to the present description, the front panel 12 and the backpanel 14 are joined together along the perimeter edge 13, in particularlaterally, by means of a left lateral seam 36 and a right lateral seam38 and, in the upper part, by means of a left shoulder seam 20 and aright shoulder seam 22, to define a tubular structure 44 that can beworn by the user.

The left shoulder seam 20 and the right shoulder seam 22 are notconnected to each other, so that between them the front panel 12 and theback panel 14 are not joined or stitched together, defining the uppersegment 17 that delimits the upper opening 21. Therefore, the shapededge 27 can develop between the left shoulder seam 20 and the rightshoulder seam 22. The left shoulder seam 20 and the right shoulder seam22 can thus delimit the neck 16 at the sides (FIGS. 1, 10 and 11) or thehigh neck 31 (FIG. 12).

In the same way, in the lower segment 15 where the front panel 12 andthe back panel 14 are not joined or stitched together, the front panel12 and the back panel 14 have lower edges, or bottoms 40, 46, whichremain free of seams or other types of join, to allow the user to putthe article of clothing on.

According to some forms of embodiment, at least one of either the leftlateral seam 36 or the right lateral seam 38 that join the front panel12 with the back panel 14 laterally along the perimeter edge 13, is aninternal seam, and at least another is an external seam.

We must point out here that the expression “internal seam” or in general“internal join”, as used in the forms of embodiment described here, canbe a join, seam or heat-sealing, in which the edges stitched together donot protrude externally, i.e. they are not visible externally, sincethey are folded back inside, whereas the expression “external seam” orin general “external join” as used in the forms of embodiment describedhere, can be a join, seam or heat-sealing in which the edges stitchedtogether protrude externally, i.e. they are visible externally sincethey extend outside.

In some forms of embodiment, which can be combined with all the forms ofembodiment described here, the external seam, i.e. the one where theedges stitched together are visible externally, can be made with awhipstitch, which prevents the edges from fraying.

In some forms of embodiment, which can be combined with all the forms ofembodiment described here, at least one of either the left shoulder seam20 or the right shoulder seam 22 is an internal seam, and at leastanother is an external seam.

In particular, the left shoulder seam 20 and the right shoulder seam 22have the same type of internal or external seam that the respective leftlateral seam 36 and right lateral seam 38 have, so that one of the twosides, left or right, of the article of clothing 10, both when it is ina “normal” condition and when it is in an inside-out condition, and alsowhen it is turned front or back, has all the seams of the external type,and the opposite side, right or left respectively, has all the seams ofthe internal type.

In this way, the article of clothing 10 not only has a back/front andinternal/external symmetry but also a back/front and internal/externalspecularity with regards to the seams. It is understood that in otherforms of embodiment the seams of the article of clothing, in particularthe left shoulder seam 20, the right shoulder seam 22 and the respectiveleft lateral seam 36 and right lateral seam 38 can all be the internaltype, or all the external type, for example in the “normal” condition orin the inside-out condition. It can therefore be provided that theconformation of the seams, or other joins such as heat-sealing, definesnot only a left/right symmetry of the article of clothing 10, but also asymmetry between the upper part and the lower part thereof.

According to other forms of embodiment, it can be provided that the leftshoulder seam 20, the right shoulder seam 22, the left armhole seam 32,the right armhole seam 34 and the respective left lateral seam 36 andright lateral seam 38 are partly external seams and partly internalseams, alternately.

According to still other forms of embodiment, the left shoulder seam 20and the right shoulder seam 22, the left armhole seam 32 and rightarmhole seam 34 could be internal seams, whereas the respective leftlateral seam 36 and right lateral seam 38 could be external seams, orvice versa.

FIG. 2 is used to describe forms of embodiment in which the front panel12 has an external face 12 a and an internal face 12 b, and the backpanel 14 has an external face 14 a and an internal face 14 b. Inparticular, FIG. 2 is also used to describe possible ways of using anarticle of clothing 10 according to some forms of embodiment describedhere, in which by rotating the article of clothing 10 by 180° around itsmedian longitudinal axis X (arrow R) or turning it inside out (arrowI/E) it can be used all the same, always having the same conformationand therefore maintaining the same wearability and comfort in use. Inthis specific case, the article of clothing 10 can have for example oneside with all the seams internal and one side with all the seamsexternal, in the “normal” or inside-out condition, or back-to-front.

In this way, it is possible to wear the article of clothing 10 in fourdifferent ways:

a first way is to use the external face 12 a of the front panel 12 asthe front side of the article of clothing 10;

a second way is to use the external face 14 a of the back panel 14 asthe front side, this obtainable by rotating the article of clothing 10through 180° (arrow R) around the median longitudinal axis X;

a third way is obtained by rotating the article of clothing 10internally/externally, so that it is possible to use the internal face14 b of the back panel 14 as the front side of the article of clothing10;

a fourth way is to start from the third way and to rotate the article ofclothing 10 through 180° (arrow R) around the median longitudinal axisX, so that it is possible to use the internal face 12 b of the frontpanel 12 as the front side of the article of clothing 10.

The article of clothing 10 can be personalized in different ways interms of print/color/decorations and/or types of material used for thefront panel 12 (external face 12 a and internal face 12 b) and for theback panel 14 (external face 14 a and internal face 14 b). Inparticular, thanks to the characteristics of symmetry and identity inthe size/shape of the front panel 12 and back panel 14, the article ofclothing 10, in every moment and in all conditions of use (front/backand “normal”/inside-out) can have at least one personalized externalface 12 a, for example printed and/or colored differently from theexternal face 14 a, and a personalized internal face 12 b, for exampleprinted and/or colored differently from the at least one internal face14 b and at least one of the external faces 12 a, 14 a.

Therefore, according to the present description, the article of clothing10 can appear different, in terms of personalization, in every possibleorientation/condition (front/back and “normal”/inside-out) in which itis worn, since the faces 12 a, 12 b, 14 a, 14 b can be printed and/orcolored and/or made with different types of material, each differentfrom the others.

According to some forms of embodiment, described for example using FIG.10 and which can be combined with all the forms of embodiment describedhere, the article of clothing 10 can have no sleeves. In this case, thearticle of clothing 10 can have the lateral openings 25 close to theshoulders, so the arms can pass, and can be for example an undershirt orlike a waistcoat, or it can have lateral openings 25 lower down, or canhave no lateral openings 25 and be like a poncho.

According to other forms of embodiment, described for example usingFIGS. 1, 11 and 12 and which can be combined with all the forms ofembodiment described here, the article of clothing 10 can be providedwith a left sleeve 24 and a right sleeve 26. The left sleeve 24 and theright sleeve 26 can be short (see FIG. 1) or long (see for example FIGS.11 and 12), for example down to the wrists or with an average length,between the shoulders and the wrists.

The left sleeve 24 and the right sleeve 26 can be joined to the tubularstructure 44 formed by the join of the front panel 12 and the back panel14 by means of left armhole seams 32 and right armhole seams 34.According to an example form of embodiment, at least one of the leftarmhole seams 32 or right armhole seams 34 is an internal seam, and atleast another is an external seam as defined above.

For example, with reference by way of example to the forms of embodimentdescribed using FIG. 2, the left armhole seams 32 and right armholeseams 34 can have the same type of internal or external seam as therespective left lateral seam 36 and right lateral seam 38 so that, inpossible implementations, one of the two sides—left or right—has all theseams of the external type, and the opposite side has all the seams ofthe internal type.

FIG. 3 is used to describe in detail a right armhole seam 34 that joinsthe right sleeve 26 to the front panel 12 and the back panel 14. In thisexample case, the right armhole seam 34 can be the external type, andthe edges are visible externally.

FIG. 4 is used to describe in detail a right armhole seam 34 that joinsthe right sleeve 26 to the right shoulder seam 22 and to the front panel12 and the back panel 14. For example, the right armhole seam 34 can bethe external type.

In possible forms of embodiment, not restrictive of the field ofprotection of the present invention, the upper segment 17, and hence theshaped edge 27, which can define for example the neck 16 or the highneck 31, the left sleeve 24, the right sleeve 26 and the lower segment15 and the corresponding bottom 40, 46, can have finished hems. Here andhereafter, the expression “hem” or “finished hem” means the work which,in clothing and linen articles, is carried out along one or more endedges, folding the material back a little and securing it with asuitable stitch, for example an invisible stitch, for reinforcement ordecoration, and also the finishing material that is applied along theedge of an article of clothing or for other use.

In some forms of embodiment, the lateral openings 25 can be hemmed, byhemming trimmings 28, 30, both when the article of clothing 10 hassleeves (FIGS. 1, 11 and 12) and also when it does not have sleeves(FIG. 10).

For example, in some forms of embodiment, the left sleeve 24 and theright sleeve 26 can have a hem formed respectively by the trimming 28 ofthe left sleeve 24 and the trimming 30 of the right sleeve 26, bothmade, for example, of the same type of material used for the respectiveleft sleeve 24 and right sleeve 26.

The hems of the left sleeve 24 and the right sleeve 26 can be obtained,for example, by overlapping respectively the trimming 28 and thetrimming 30, folded in half, over the ends of the cut edge of thesleeves, so that one end stays outside and one stays inside the sleeves,and joining the elements by stitching.

The shaped edge 27, which can define the neck 16 or the high neck 31,can be hemmed by a neck hem trimming 18, which can consist of at leasttwo flaps 18 a and 18 b, initially separated from the front panel 12 andthe back panel 14. In one form of embodiment, the materials used for thetwo flaps 18 a and 18 b can be the same ones chosen for the front panel12 and the back panel 14, or they can be different.

In particular, in this specific case, the flaps 18 a and 18 b of theneck hem trimming 18 of the shaped edge 27 can each be stitched to thepanel 12, 14 of corresponding material, and the cut edge of the flap 18a, 18 b can be visible both internally and externally, in this wayadding symmetry to the article of clothing 10 in question.

In possible implementations, the bottoms 40, 46 can also be hemmed and,in the same way, can have a bottom hem trimming 42, consisting of atleast two flaps 42 a and 42 b, initially separated from the front panel12 and the back panel 14. In one form of embodiment, the materials usedfor the flaps 42 a and 42 b can be the same ones chosen for the frontpanel 12 and the back panel 14, respectively, or they can be different.

FIGS. 5-7 are used to describe in detail seams to make the neck hemtrimming 18 of the shaped edge 27 (FIGS. 5 and 6) and the bottom hemtrimming 42 of the bottoms 40, 46, in forms of embodiment according tothe present description (FIG. 7).

In particular, in FIG. 5 it can be seen that the seam between the flaps18 a and 18 b of the neck hem trimming 18 on the left side is theexternal type, whereas in FIG. 6 it can be seen that the seam betweenthe flaps 18 a and 18 b of the neck hem trimming 18 on the right side isthe internal type.

On the contrary, in FIG. 7 it can be seen that the flaps 42 a and 142 bcan each be stitched to the panel 12, 14 of corresponding material andthe cut edge of the flap 42 a, 42 b is visible both internally andexternally, contributing to the symmetry of the article of clothing 10.

FIG. 8 is used to describe forms of embodiment, which can be combinedwith all forms of embodiment described here, in which the seam betweenthe flaps 42 a and 42 b of the bottom hem trimming 42 on the left sidecan be the internal type, whereas, with reference to forms of embodimentdescribed using FIG. 9, the seam between the flaps 42 a and 42 b of thebottom hem trimming 42 on the right side can be the external type.

When the article of clothing 10 is turned inside out, or vice versa, oneseam of the bottom hem trimming 42 always stays internal, whereas theopposite seam always stays external, to increase the symmetry of thearticle of clothing 10.

Forms of embodiment described here also refer to a method to make anarticle of clothing 10. We shall now describe, by way of non-restrictiveexample, a method according to the present description with reference toan article of clothing 10 formed by two panels 12, 14 of differentmaterials and/or personalized in different ways; the description canalso refer to an article of clothing 10 in which the two panels 12, 14are the same material and/or are personalized in different ways.

According to one form of embodiment, the method provides:

to make available two panels 12, 14 only, provided with perimeter edges13, so that the article of clothing consists of said two panels;

to join together the two panels 12, 14 overlapping along all the facingperimeter edges 13, except for at least a lower segment 15 that is notjoined, which defines a lower opening 23 in order to put the article ofclothing at least on the torso, shoulders and back, and an upper segment17, not joined, which defines an upper opening 21 for the head to gothrough, and possibly one or more lateral segments 19, not joined, whichdefine respective one or more lateral openings 25 for the arms to gothrough, said two panels 12, 14 having the same shape and size,optionally except for exclusively the zone of said upper segment 17defining the upper opening 21, wherein the panels 12, 14 can haverespective shaped edges 27 having an identical profile, or a differentprofile, chosen between a rounded shape and a V-shape.

According to some forms of embodiment, the join can be made by stitchingor heat-sealing.

According to a possible form of embodiment of the method, at least oneof either the external faces 12 a, 14 a or the internal faces 12 b, 14 bof the front panel 12 and back panel 14 can be personalized differentlyfrom another of the external faces 12 a, 14 a and internal faces 12 b,14 b. The personalization can be understood, for example, in terms ofdifferent colors/images, or in terms of different types of materialsused to make the front panel 12 and back panel 14.

According to possible forms of embodiment, a preliminary operation thatcan be carried out is to cut the elements that make up the article ofclothing 10, in particular the front panel 12, the back panel 14, thepossible left sleeve 24 and right sleeve 26 and the trimmings 18, 28,30, 42 for the hems.

For example, in a possible form of embodiment, the front panel 12, aleft sleeve 24, a left sleeve trimming 28, a flap 18 b, which forms halfof the neck hem trimming 18, and a flap 42 a, which forms half of thebottom hem trimming 42, are cut from a reel of material A.

The back panel 14, a right sleeve 26, a right sleeve trimming 30, a flap18 b, which forms another half of the neck hem trimming 18, and a flap42 b, which forms another half of the bottom hem trimming 42, are cutfrom a second reel of material B, in this case different from materialA.

Material A and material B can be considered different in that thesubstance they are made of is different, or they can be made of the samesubstance but are personalized differently, by prints, images, colors,graphical motifs/writing and/or applied or printed decorations.

Subsequently, the left sleeve 24 of the material A is hemmed, foldingthe trimming of the left sleeve 28 in correspondence with the lower endof the left sleeve 24 and stitching it so that, both internally andexternally, the edges stay visible.

In the same way, the front panel 12 of material A is hemmed with theflap 42 a, which forms half the bottom hem trimming 42, with the samematerial A.

Subsequently, the right sleeve 26 of material B is hemmed, folding thetrimming of the right sleeve 30 in correspondence with the lower end ofthe right sleeve 26 and stitching it so that, both internally andexternally, the edges stay visible.

Furthermore, the back panel 14 of material B is hemmed with the flap 42b, which forms half of the bottom hem trimming 42, with the samematerial B.

Afterward, the internal face 12 b of the front panel 12 is put incontact, i.e., overlapped adjacent, with the internal face 14 b of theback panel 14 and the right shoulder seam 22 is made, which in this waycan be, for example, the external type.

Subsequently, the assembled article is turned inside out, so that theface 12 a of the front panel 12 is in contact with the face 14 a of theback panel 14, and the left shoulder seam 20 is made. In this case too,the seam made can be the external type, but when the garment is turnedoutside in again, it appears as the internal type.

Afterward, the right sleeve of material B is assembled on the frontpanel 12 and the back panel 14 by stitching the right armhole seam 34,as described with reference to FIG. 3.

Subsequently, the assembled article is again turned inside out and theleft sleeve 24 of material A is assembled on the front panel 12 and theback panel 14 by stitching the left armhole seam 32.

Afterward the neck hem trimming 18 is assembled by stitching the flaps18 a and 18 b, with two seams at the longitudinal ends, one internal andone external.

Subsequently, the neck hem trimming 18 is assembled by folding it on themargin of the shaped edge 27, so as to make the materials A and Brespectively correspond, and then stitching them.

According to some forms of embodiment, as final operations, the leftlateral seam 36 and right lateral seam 38 are made, in sequence. Forexample, first the left lateral seam 36 is made, then the assembledarticle is turned inside out and the right lateral seam 38 is made, orvice versa.

In a possible form of embodiment, the stitches can be the whipstitchtype, but can also be plain stitch, zig zag or any other type.

The article of clothing 10 obtained with the method according to formsof embodiment described here therefore has four faces 12 a, 12 b, 14 a,14 b, all equally wearable as the front side, by suitably rotating thearticle of clothing 10 and turning it inside out, and for examplecomprising at least two different materials and/or differentpersonalizations, while the comfort remains unchanged. Thisadvantageously allows to personalize the article of clothing 10,providing, for example using printing or other techniques, a differentimage/graphical pattern/writing/color on every face 12 a, 12 b, 14 a, 14b. In this way, the article of clothing 10 is extremely versatile,because it is esthetically different in each of the four differentpossible ways in which it can be worn, while always keeping the samecomfort and wearability.

In some forms of embodiment, which can be combined with all the forms ofembodiment described here, the front panel 12 and the back panel 14 ofthe article of clothing 10 can be made of flexible material. Theflexible material of the front panel 12 can be the same as or differentfrom the flexible material of the back panel 14.

In particular, among the possible flexible materials that can be usedare textile materials, which can also include, according to the presentdescription, both materials based on textile fibers, in particularcarded fibers, and also flexible materials not based on textile fibersbut which can be used in the clothing industry, such as for exampleleather or metal.

Examples of textile fibers are natural fibers, in particular vegetable,animal or mineral fibers, or synthetic or artificial fibers orcombinations thereof. The materials based on fibers can be in the formof fabric, i.e. obtained from a weave of fibers, for example with awarp-and-weave structure. The fabric can therefore be formed from fibersof natural origin, such as vegetable, animal or mineral fibers, ortechno fibers, such as artificial, synthetic or inorganic fibers. Thematerial can alternatively be in the form of non-woven fabric (TNT), forexample with overlapping fibers, distributed in order or randomly.

According to possible implementations, vegetable fibers usable in someforms of embodiment can be fibers chosen from a group comprising:cotton, linen, hemp, jute, ramie (or nettle yarn), sisal, coconut,broom, hibiscus, Manila hemp, straw, bamboo.

According to possible implementations, animal fibers usable in someforms of embodiment can be chosen from a group comprising: wool, hide,silk, horsehair, byssus (sea silk).

According to possible implementations, mineral fibers usable in someforms of embodiment can be chosen from a group comprising: asbestos,metal wires, glass wool.

According to possible implementations, synthetic fibers usable in someforms of embodiment can be chosen from a group comprising: acrylic,modacrylic (acrylic modified to be flame-resistant), polyamide (nylon),polyester, polypropylene, polyethylene, chlorovinyl, polyurethane(elastam), Teflon (Gore-Tex), aramids (Kevlar).

According to possible implementations, inorganic fibers usable in someforms of embodiment can be chosen from a group comprising: textileglass, carbon fiber, basalt, metal fibers (copper, silver, gold, steel),metalized fibers.

According to possible implementations, artificial fibers usable in someforms of embodiment can be chosen from a group comprising: rayon, modal,cupro, acetate, triacetate, lyocell, rubber or caoutchouc, viscose orartificial silk.

Other examples of flexible materials can be materials not formed fromtextile fibers, such as natural or synthetic leather, such as fauxleather, metal, for example in the form of thin flexible foil, or anyother type of material usable in the clothing or textile industry which,being flexible, can be shaped, folded, deformed and worn.

In some forms of embodiment, which can be combined with all the otherforms of embodiment described here, the left sleeve 24 and right sleeve26, when present, can be made of two different materials. For examplethey can be made of the same materials used for the front panel 12 andback panel 14.

It is clear that modifications and/or additions of parts may be made tothe article of clothing 10 as described heretofore, without departingfrom the field and scope of the present invention.

It is also clear that, although the present invention has been describedwith reference to some specific examples, a person of skill in the artshall certainly be able to achieve many other equivalent forms ofarticle of clothing according to the present invention, having thecharacteristics as set forth in the claims and hence all coming withinthe field of protection defined thereby.

Although the above refers to forms of embodiment of the invention, otherforms of embodiment can be provided without departing from the mainfield of protection, which is defined by the following claims.

In the following claims, the sole purpose of the references in bracketsis to facilitate reading, and must not be considered as limiting factorswith regard to the field of protection of the specific claims.

1. Article of clothing to wear on the top part of the body to cover atleast the shoulders, torso and back, wherein the article of clothingcomprises of two opposite panels, joined together overlapping alongrespective facing perimeter edges, except for at least a lower segmentthat is not joined, which defines a lower opening in order to put thearticle of clothing on the torso, shoulders and back, and an uppersegment, not joined, which defines an upper opening for the head to gothrough, said two panels having the same shape and size, wherein saidpanels can have respective shaped edges having an identical profile, ora different profile, the different profiles being chosen between arounded shape and a V-shape.
 2. Article of clothing as in claim 1,wherein at least one, or each, of said two panels consists of a singlelayer of textile material.
 3. Article of clothing as in claim 1, whereinsaid two panels are a front panel and a back panel.
 4. Article ofclothing as in claim 3, wherein said front panel and back panel areshaped or cut so as to be identical to each other and each symmetricalfront/back with respect to themselves and also symmetrical with respectto each other.
 5. Article of clothing as in claim 3, wherein the frontpanel and the back panel have respective external faces and internalfaces, wherein at least one of either said external faces or internalfaces has a different personalization from another of said externalfaces and internal faces.
 6. Article of clothing as in claim 3, whereinthe front panel and the back panel each provide, in correspondence tosaid upper segment along which they are not joined together, anidentical edge shaped to define a part of the article of clothing thatsurrounds the user's neck, delimiting said upper opening for the head togo through.
 7. Article of clothing as in claim 2, wherein the frontpanel and the back panel are joined to each other along said perimeteredge, laterally by means of a left lateral seam and a right lateral seamand, in the upper part, by means of a left shoulder seam and a rightshoulder seam to define a tubular structure wearable by the user,wherein the left lateral seam, the right lateral seam, the left shoulderseam and the right shoulder seam are external seams or internal seams.8. Article of clothing as in claim 7, wherein at least one of either theleft lateral seam or the right lateral seam is an internal seam, and atleast one other of either the left lateral seam or the right lateralseam is an external seam.
 9. Article of clothing as in claim 7, whereinat least one of either the left shoulder seam or the right shoulder seamis an internal seam, and at least one other of either the left shoulderseam or the right shoulder seam is an external seam.
 10. Article ofclothing as in claim 7, wherein the left shoulder seam and the rightshoulder seam have the same type of seam, internal or external, as havethe respective left lateral seam and the right lateral seam.
 11. Articleof clothing as in claim 7, wherein the left shoulder seam and the rightshoulder seam are not connected to each other, defining said uppersegment which delimits the upper opening.
 12. Article of clothing as inclaim 1, wherein in the lower segment where the front panel and the backpanel are not joined together, the front panel and the back panel havelower edges, or bottoms of the article of clothing, which remainunjoined so as to allow wearability.
 13. Article of clothing as in claim1, wherein said article of clothing has no sleeves.
 14. Article ofclothing as in claim 13, wherein the front panel and the back panel arejoined to each other along said perimeter edge, laterally by means of aleft lateral seam and a right lateral seam and, in the upper part, bymeans of a left shoulder seam and a right shoulder seam to define atubular structure wearable by the user, wherein the left lateral seam,the right lateral seam, the left shoulder seam and the right shoulderseam are external seams or internal seams, and wherein the left sleeveand the right sleeve are joined to the tubular structure defined by thefront panel and by the back panel by means of left armhole seams andright armhole seams, wherein said left armhole seams and right armholeseams are external or internal.
 15. Method to make an article ofclothing to be worn on the top part of the body to cover at least theshoulders, torso and back, wherein the method comprises: makingavailable exclusively two panels, provided with perimeter edges, so thatthe article of clothing consists of said two panels; joining togetherthe two panels overlapping along all the facing perimeter edges, exceptfor at least a lower segment that is not joined, which defines a loweropening in order to put the article of clothing at least on the torso,shoulders and back, and an upper segment, not joined, which defines anupper opening for the head to go through, and possibly one or morelateral segments, not joined, which define respective one or morelateral openings for the arms to go through, said two panels having thesame shape and size, optionally except for exclusively the zone of saidupper segment defining the upper opening, wherein said panels can haverespective shaped edges having an identical profile, or a differentprofile, chosen between a rounded shape and a V-shape.
 16. Method as inclaim 15, wherein the front panel and the back panel have respectiveexternal faces and internal faces, wherein at least one of either saidexternal faces or internal faces has a different personalization fromanother of said external faces and internal faces.
 17. Method as inclaim 15, wherein the joining can be carried out by stitching and/orheat-sealing.
 18. Method as in claim 15, wherein at least one of saidtwo panels consists of a single layer of textile material.
 19. Articleof clothing as in claim 1, and further including one or more lateralsegments, not joined, which define respective one or more lateralopenings for the arms to go through.
 20. Article of clothing as in claim19, wherein the upper segment defines the upper opening.